When 2014 started most people had never heard his name, but by the end of January he was making around $50K a day off his hit smartphone app Flappy Bird!

But then things went downhill!

After allegations of plagiarism, reports of video game addiction, and, well, too much unwanted/overbearing press, the young Vietnamese software designer pulled his wildly popular game off of virtual shelves in February!

Shane Redway -- a Canadian rapper and close friend of Drake's -- was killed early Saturday morning in a car crash. He was just 26 years old.

Redway and two others were killed when their car lost control, struck a guardrail and burst into flames. The crash occurred around 4am outside Pearson International Airport in Toronto. It's unclear who was behind the wheel. Police are investigating the crash.

Drake took to Instagram to remember Redway, posting two different tributes.